By SPENCER BATES
ALLEGANY — All the way back on Aug. 30, the Allegany-Limestone boys soccer team was set for a test against Randolph in its season-opening tournament.
The Cardinals punched in two goals in rapid succession as they looked to avenge the loss the Gators dealt them in the Section 6 Class C Final last season. However, A-L did manage to respond, coming all the way back to win in a 3-2 thriller.
After that game, A-L head coach Jon Luce admitted that Randolph is one of the best teams in the area and considering that the two teams are still in the same class, “we might see each other again in the future.”
Those words came to reality on Oct. 28 as the No. 2 Gators and No. 3 Cardinals were set to do battle once more, this time in the Class C Semifinal. And in another classic between the two Southern Tier powerhouses, the result went the way of Allegany-Limestone by a score of 2-0.
“I’m just super proud of the boys and the effort they put in today,” Luce said. “It’s been leading up to this. We played them earlier in the season, and it was very tight, and we knew we’d see them again. … Two of the better teams in the Southern Tier came together today and put a hard fought game in. Congratulations to Randolph on their season, they had a lot of great seniors on their team, but I’m just super proud of how our guys responded today. They showed up for the challenge tonight.”
Right out of the gates, Randolph applied some significant pressure on the A-L back line, but each time it was repelled. This was critical for the Gators as in the first matchup between the teams this season, the Cards found the back of the net inside 10 seconds and they did not want to have to dig themselves out of a hole once again.
“That was a lesson way back in the beginning of the season that we’ve taken into every single game: making sure that we are ready when the whistle blows,” Luce said. “We can’t wait 10 minutes because we could be down 2-0. … And tonight, the boys delivered and pulled through.”
Allegany-Limestone’s Cooper Wilczewski (10) looks to settle a ball thrown into him in the Ranolph penalty area. Wilczewski converted a penalty kick for the Gators in their 2-0 win over the Cardinals. (Spencer Bates)
The sides went into the half scoreless after a high-octane first 40 minutes yielded no goals. The second half was a tad less back-and-forth, but that was due to the fact that A-L firmly put the contest under its control. For the remainder of the affair, Randolph managed just one shot on target, while the Gators found the breakthrough in the 52nd minute after Cooper Wilczewski converted from the penalty spot.
Just nine minutes later, A-L secured a brace via Kaleb Reed, who tapped home after a brilliant run by Noah Hatch drew in defenders, leaving the former open in the center of the box. Luce credited both Hatch, who won the penalty Wilczewski scored, and Reed for how they adapted in the second half, leading to many more quality chances.
“It’s about using your head,” Luce said. “It’s about understanding what the other team is doing against you and what’s going to work. Do we need to use our speed and go more vertical today, or do we need to use more diagonal runs? Today, their defense stuck with us in the middle. So it was more about the diagonal run and switching in the second half, that’s where we had the advantage. … So, I’m super proud of the pressure that Kaleb put on today, and of Noah for earning the PK.”
With the win, A-L officially booked itself a spot in the Class C Final against No. 1 seed Wilson, which defeated Portville 3-0 in its respective semifinal. But for as much as this year’s team has some fresh faces compared to last year’s state final roster, Luce is not worried about how his team will handle the moment.
“We still got to play 80 minutes, it’s still the same size field,” Luce said. “We’re going to have officials, and it’s 11-on-11. It’s hyped up because it’s a section final, but we have a handful of kids who were on the team last year that went to the state final, so they have the experience. I don’t think the atmosphere is going to get too big for them.”
Allegany-Limestone will travel to West Seneca East on Nov. 1, kicking off its game against Wilson at 2:30 p.m.
